Heather Keats

This Start-Up Story comes from Heather Keats, a personal trainer and coach based in Bristol who helps mums. Heather started her business after a personal tragedy that led to her re-evaluating what she wanted from life. 

*Please note: trigger warning, this post mentions baby loss*

Tell me a little about you & your family, what your business is, and the inspiration behind getting started…

Hey I’m Heather and I help mums who are struggling to make time for themselves to generate more energy, health & happiness through fitness, food and mindfulness.

I started my career as a nurse and health visitor. However, when I lost my first son during labour in 2012, my whole world was flipped upside down and through the grief and the pain I decided to do something I’d always wanted to do, and become a personal trainer so I could live what I loved and help other mums feel good enough in themselves to be able to connect well and have fun times with their kids. Our time with our children is so precious.

How did you make the leap from idea on paper to reality with your business idea?

After the tragedy of losing Alex I felt compelled to take my life in a different direction and lead rather than be led. So I looked for an online personal training course which I completed just after having my second son, Blake in 2013. It was hilarious doing my PT practical lessons in the gym at 8 months pregnant!

How did you get your first sale or client?

I discovered a friend from school now owned her own gym so I asked if she needed some help and we decided that I could run my own mums fitness classes from her studio in exchange for me ‘manning the gym’ to give her some time off. I really loved hanging out in that space (Runner Bean in the Cotswolds) and it totally confirmed I was in the right place. My classes for mums to bring their babies got great feedback and I loved it!

What ‘lucky breaks’ or helping hands have you had along the way that have really boosted your progress?

Definitely working at Laura’s gym was the first step to actually getting going. Later, moving to Bristol and being part of such an amazing local community where word of mouth makes real traction has been brilliant. Love this city!

What do you LOVE about your business and working for yourself?

I love the flexibility to fit it around the kids and make my own decision, even though that’s not always easy! But really I do just love seeing the changes I see in the women I work with when they realise how much they’ve neglected themselves since their babies were born and how it’s time for then to start putting themselves back on the to-do list. I love helping them getting stronger physically and emotionally and start to lead their lives rather than be led.

What’s the scariest thing you’ve had to do since setting up on your own?

FB lives, definitely the lives ha haaa!

Who is your support network that you simply couldn’t manage without?

Online communities like Mamas On A Mission where you get to see that there are other courageous women wanting to bring their own special thing to the world and facing all the same struggles as I do!

And my sister Sonia Shields who’s my life coach!

What exciting plans do you have for your business over the next 6-12 months that you’d like to share?

Eeek! All sorts! I’m planning to create a special tribe of women in business who face similar struggles to get their health and wellbeing a priority. I want them to see that when they do, it’s not only their health that’ll improve but also their business as they have more energy and focus to get sh*t done!

I’m working on a collaboration with my Martial arts instructor at Bristol Combat gym to create an online Bodyshock programme for fat burning, metabolism boosting, muscle building madness! Plus another collab with my friend Sophie Bolton Social Media Queen to run net-workout events for women in business.

You can follow Heather online over at her website and join her free online community Halt The Hustle on Facebook.